Latest news with #DavidJolly
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
In usual self-sabotage, Florida Democrats argue over gubernatorial candidate
The Democratic Party already has an uphill battle to retake the Florida governor's office after more than 30 years of Republican dominance. Debating whether the party's only main candidate so far is pure in his support for abortion rights seems like a waste of time for a party that hasn't won any statewide elections in years. And, yet, you can always count on liberals to shoot themselves in the foot with purity and ideological tests, as it's happening with a debate surrounding David Jolly, the former Tampa-area Republican congressman who's running for governor as a Democrat. The infighting has been playing out this month on the opinion pages of the Miami Herald and elsewhere. It began with an op-ed by Anna Hochkammer, executive director of the Florida Women's Freedom Coalition political committee, who urged Democratic voters to be skeptical about Jolly's abortion stance. Jolly, the son of a Baptist pastor, did cast anti-abortion votes when he was in Congress, including signing onto the Life at Conception Act that would have given full legal rights to a fertilized egg. He has said he's evolved on the issue and now supports abortion up to the point of viability, usually at around 24 weeks of gestation, and is against onerous abortion regulations such as waiting periods and mandatory ultrasounds. Many Democrats are upset by Hochkammer's op-ed and her political committee's fundraising calls on the topic — one them says, 'We're not going to let 'moderate' men like David Jolly posture as reasonable,' Politico reported. Party figures fear the controversy could motivate somebody else to jump in the Democratic primary and drag Jolly into a costly intra-party battle before the 2026 general elections happen. The debate over Jolly's support for abortion rights ignores that he still is vastly more supportive of reproductive rights than any Republican he's likely to face if he's the Democratic nominee in November 2026. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, whose gubernatorial bid has been endorsed by President Trump, supports banning abortions in most cases after six weeks, according to Politico. A group of high-profile, pro-life women from Miami and Florida penned an op-ed in response to Hochkammer. On Jolly's evolution on abortion, they wrote: ...'when faced with the tangible and tragic harms resulting from restrictive abortion policies, his view changed,' and that he vowed to try to put into law Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that got over 57% voter support last year but failed to meet a 60% threshold for passage. Abortion rights are obviously an important issue in Florida after Republicans passed an extreme six-week ban. But, as a political issue, Democrats learned last year that reproductive rights did not help them win seats as they expected. Trump carried Florida easily even though Amendment 4 got majority support. Democrats, if they still have a chance to win a gubernatorial election in Florida — and that's a big if — should focus on the issues that are top of mind for voters, mainly the state's housing, affordability and property insurance crises, issues that Jolly's campaign says he would focus on. It's clear that some Democratic heavyweights are trying to clear the field for Jolly and avoid a primary, something that could backfire if progressives feel party leaders are engaging in the type of kingmaking that cost Hillary Clinton support in 2016, when many felt the party sidelined U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. A column posted on the Daily Kos website called Jolly 'Charlie Crist 2.0' in reference to the former Republican-governor-turned Democrat who lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 by a landslide and failed to motivate the Democratic base. The real problem isn't Crist or Jolly, but the lack of a Democratic bench of strong candidates who can run statewide. Republicans, on the other hand, have a vast roster of proven political candidates. There's still the possibility of a bloody primary between Donalds and First Lady Casey DeSantis if she decides to run. But we know that, once a nominee is chosen, Republicans will fall in line, as they did when Trump became the presidential nominee in 2016. As the underdog, the Florida Democratic Party has a lot more to lose by engaging in ideological fights with each other. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We're pro-choice Floridians — and we trust David Jolly to defend our rights
We're pro-choice Floridians — and we trust David Jolly to defend our rights | Opinion We are Floridians who are actively committed to securing reproductive rights in Florida, and we are enthusiastically supporting David Jolly for governor. He strongly believes: 'Reproductive health care decisions should be made between women and their doctors, not politicians.' He wants to bring back the protections of Roe v. Wade, as do the over 57% of Florida voters who voted for Amendment 4 last November. David Jolly told us: 'I voted for Amendment 4. As governor, I would work to enact Amendment 4 into law. I support Roe. I am pro-choice. And as your governor I would veto any legislation that would restrict reproductive healthcare in the state of Florida.' Roe is the United States Supreme Court case that originally established the right to an abortion and was overruled by a 2023 Supreme Court decision. Jolly was not always a supporter of abortion rights. When he was in Congress many years ago, he did support anti-abortion positions. But since then, he has changed his mind. After all, he was raised in a culture that deplored abortion. However, when faced with the tangible and tragic harms resulting from restrictive abortion policies, his view changed. Informed by empathy, ethical considerations and his views on the appropriate role of government, he is now solidly pro-choice. What? A politician who changes his mind to do the right thing? Is that not what we all want? Well, it certainly is what we want. Jolly's positions track exactly the language of Amendment 4: 'No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider.' That language is the same codification of Roe v. Wade that Jolly supports. We find it admirable that Jolly is someone who was willing to change his mind after being confronted with the realities of the anti-abortion movement and its devastating impact on those who need abortions but cannot get them. None of us would be supporting him today unless he had realized his past stance on reproductive choice was wrong. Jolly pledges that he will govern according to his values, which are based on 'love, kindness, respect and dignity.' He says that there are three basic principles that govern his decisions: ▪ Florida's economy should work for everyone in the state. ▪ Florida's laws and policies should apply equally to all. ▪ The personal freedoms of all Floridians must be protected. Those values and principles point only to support for reproductive rights. We trust David Jolly on reproductive rights. But this is not a one-issue race. We also support his positions on other issues that he and we consider critical to Florida: addressing the affordability of housing, property insurance and health care, strengthening and improving public education and allowing our public universities to thrive without government interference. If we cannot accept that politicians can change their minds when they realize they were wrong, we are in for governance that none of us want. Jolly is a person who will live and govern by the same values and principles we all support. That's why dedicated pro-choice women leaders across Miami-Dade like Maribel Balbin, Cindy Lerner and Jennifer Stearns Buttrick are joining reproductive freedom champions throughout our state like Mona Reis, Susan Windmiller, former member of Congress Gwen Graham and former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Pariente in saying: We trust David Jolly on reproductive rights. Ellen Freidin is a lawyer and sponsor of Florida's Constitutional Equal Protection Clause and leader of the Fair Districts Florida movement. Jane Moscowitz is a former federal prosecutor. Donna Shalala is a former member of Congress and former president of the University of Miami. Barbara Zdravecky is the retired CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Byron Donalds dwarfs David Jolly in early 2026 Florida governor race fundraising
Since late-April, when newly minted Democrat David Jolly entered the 2026 Florida governor's race, he's raised about $1 million through his political committee and main campaign account. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, has raised more than 10 times that amount through his political committee and main campaign account during the last three months – nearly $10.2 million. State campaign finance reports made public this week underline the gap between the two major parties in the Sunshine State. Republicans have dominated Florida's state government for more than two decades, despite the state's swing state reputation in presidential elections prior to 2016. Florida Democrats have seen their advantage in voter registration dwindle, then evaporate, and Republicans have passed them to hold a more than 1.2 million edge. Since Andrew Gillum's narrow loss to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018, the GOP's voter registration edge, combined with Democrats' inability to win close elections in the last 25 years has pushed national Democratic megadonors to stay away from Florida, an expensive state for advertising with several media markets. Meanwhile, major donors have flocked to Republican leaders, who hold the Governor's mansion, all Cabinet offices, supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, 20 out of 28 U.S. House seats and both U.S. Senate seats. Thomas Petterfy, a Palm Beach billionaire, and Richard Uihlein, a shipping company magnate, each gave $1 million to Donalds' political committee. The Florida branch of Club for Growth, a national free trade political advocacy group, gave $975,000. Jolly's biggest donors last quarter were Donald Sussman, a Fort Lauderdale investment advisor, and Barbara Stiefel, a South Florida heiress to a dermatology fortune, who each gave $100,000. The Republican Party of Florida raised $1.9 million in the second quarter, while the Florida Democratic Party pulled in $607,000. Donalds has about $20.9 million cash on hand between his political committee and main campaign account. Jolly has about $780,000. Donalds, though, could face a tougher, more expensive primary in 13 months' time, depending on which Republicans jump in the race with him. First Lady Casey DeSantis has publicly mulled a run to replace her term-limited husband, but hasn't made an official announcement. Florida Freedom Fund, the political committee overseen by DeSantis political operatives, raised about $1.3 million last quarter and has about $5 million in reserve. In Cabinet races, Attorney General James Uthmeier, DeSantis' former chief of staff whom he appointed to the position, raised $782,000 in the last three months and has $2.6 million cash on hand. Former state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, the only major Democratic candidate in the attorney general race, raised $143,000 and has about $130,000 in reserve. State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, raised $114,400 for his campaign for Chief Financial Officer. There are no major Democratic candidates for that race yet, but there could be plenty of intrigue. The position is currently vacant, as former CFO Jimmy Patronis left to take a U.S. House seat on April 1. DeSantis hasn't filled that spot but has a testy relationship with Gruters, who has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida governor campaign fundraising: Donalds rakes it in; Jolly lags
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
David Jolly for Florida governor campaign snags key Democrat endorsements for 2026
The David Jolly campaign to be the 2026 Democratic candidate for governor picked up a trio of prominent endorsements from party leaders in north, central and south Florida on Wednesday, July 9. Former Tallahassee Congresswoman Gwen Graham, daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat icon, said Jolly has the 'integrity and focus' to implement a platform to reduce housing costs, expand healthcare access and boost public schools deprived by Republican education policies. 'David is a dear friend. I know where his heart is. He cares about the issues that I care about,' Graham told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida. Former Miami Congresswoman and retired U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala said Jolly has the vision to lead with 'people-first solutions" to the increased cost in living. 'He understands that working families are being crushed by the high cost of living, housing and health care,' Shalala said. And Karen Thurman, a former Tampa Bay state legislator, Congresswoman, and party chair, said Jolly knowns how to build a coalition that can win. 'I believe David Jolly can unite voters across Florida and lead with the strength and vision our state needs. That is why I'm proud to stand with him,' Thurman said. The endorsements represent a milestone in the Jolly campaign to win over Democrats. The trio of old-school Democrats welcomed Jolly, a recent convert to the party, as the Democrats' potential leader. Thurman stepped down as party chair 15 years ago, and none of the three has held elected office since Shalala left Congress four years ago. Jolly represented St. Petersburg as a Republican 2014 – 2017. A vocal critic of President Donald Trump, he left the GOP in 2018 and joined the Democratic Party earlier this year. When he announced his candidacy in June, Jolly said he would embark on a journey to introduce himself to Democrats statewide. He's been visiting with and pitching his platform to th Democratic clubs in small towns like Zephyrhills, which Democrats have ignored for years. Last month on the Julie Mason radio show, he said people he met at a meeting there told him they hadn't seen a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since Lawton Chiles, the last Democrat to be elected governor and who passed away in 1998. When Mason questioned whether a Democrat could win in Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection by 19 points in 2022 and Trump carried the state by 13 points last year, Jolly pushed back. 'This is a very different Democratic environment, right now. It's incredibly rational. People want to win,' Jolly said. Jolly has a timetable for goals; metrics representing endorsements, fundraising and polls to measure whether he can mount a viable campaign in a state where the GOP has won seven straight gubernatorial contests. The only one he has revealed concerns polls. He seeks to narrow the gap between himself and the lead to single digits by February 2026. A Victory Insight survey released last month shows the current leading GOP candidate, Congressman Byron Donalds, R-Naples, with a six-point lead in a hypothetical matchup with Jolly. Donalds is endorsed by Trump and has $22 million in his campaign account. Jolly has a million dollars. Donalds called Jolly 'an anti-Trump radical leftist' when Jolly entered the race. 'He's completely out of touch with Florida voters and our values. Florida is Trump country,' Donalds said. Other announced candidates include Charles Burkett, the Republican mayor of Surfside, and state Sen. Jason Pizzo, as a no party affiliated candidate. There is speculation that First Lady Casey DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, and former Congressman Matt Gaetz could enter the race on the GOP side. Mega Democrat donor John Morgan said he will wait until August 2026, to decide on whether to mount a challenge to the Democratic and Republican nominees. And there are a host of other candidates from various parties that have also filed to run. Graham said Jolly is the best pick in the bunch to lead Florida. She got to know him when the two worked together in Congress to maintain an offshore oil drilling ban in the Gulf and to preserve the Apalachicola River and Bay. 'As someone who has run for governor and knows what a commitment it is, I'm thankful to have someone in this race that I know is a good person through and through and can win this,' Graham said. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham endorses David Jolly for Florida governor
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Voters should be skeptical about Florida governor candidate's abortion stance
Florida Democrats believe in the right to abortion access. Last November, over 90% of Democrats voted 'Yes' on Amendment 4, the measure to limit government interference with abortion. In fact, the majority of Floridians agree. A clear 57.2% of voters statewide supported Amendment 4, more than voted for either President Donald Trump or Sen. Rick Scott. There is broad, bipartisan agreement on this issue. Former Congressman David Jolly was a Republican until recently, when he registered as 'NPA.' Then, earlier this year, he switched his party affiliation to Democrat and filed to run for governor of Florida in the Democratic primary. Jolly now claims to support the 'Roe standard' — shorthand for access to abortion until viability — and opposes the inhumane six-week abortion ban currently on the books. When asked about his political shift, Jolly likes to say his 'values haven't changed,' then quickly moves to his next talking point. Hold on. Hold on, Democrats. Hold on, Floridians. In 2016, Jolly told the Tampa Bay Times that he believes 'life begins at conception' and boasted, 'I authored the legislation to defund Planned Parenthood.' He co-sponsored a bill that would define a fertilized egg as a 'pre-born human' with full 14th Amendment protections — a move that would criminalize all abortions nationwide, in every circumstance. We're already seeing the impact of such laws. In Georgia, a brain-dead woman was kept alive to carry an 8-week pregnancy after suffering massive cerebral blood clots. Her family was forced to wait three months while her body decayed. Only recently was she taken off life support. When Jolly says his values haven't changed, we must ask: What exactly are those values? What 'values' would strip families of the right to seek modern medical care? What 'values' would deny someone the chance to navigate pregnancy and its complications with their doctor and family? What 'values' would tell parents they have no say after a traumatic, life-altering event affects their daughter? If his values haven't changed, Jolly is not the right candidate for governor on the Democratic ticket. Regardless of personal beliefs about when life begins, Democrats believe it is unacceptable to deny women and girls the ability to make private healthcare decisions about their bodies, their families and their futures without government interference. Jolly was absent during the statewide fight to pass Amendment 4. I know — I was in the trenches. For 18 months, I traveled across Florida as executive director of the Florida Women's Freedom Coalition, a bipartisan organization working with people of all political backgrounds to secure abortion access and limit government control. I sat in rooms with Republicans, Catholics, Jews, Democrats and NPAs. David Jolly was nowhere to be found. His recent record as a political commentator on MSNBC is largely silent on abortion. There's a lot of space between pushing for fetal personhood — which he once did — and vaguely promising to 'codify Roe.' What does Jolly mean by that? How would he do it? For whom? Minors? Until what stage of pregnancy? How does he define viability? And, as someone who once championed the most extreme anti-abortion policies, what would Jolly be willing to negotiate away with Florida's Republican legislature? Voters deserve answers. We all have the right — and the obligation — to reflect carefully on where we stand on abortion access. I do not question Jolly's sincerely held beliefs. But I do object to allowing the Democratic Party, for all its flaws, to become a vehicle for the ambitious without serious scrutiny. Voters must look under the hood. David Jolly has spent much of his political career fighting to block abortion access and destroy women's healthcare. He now says his values haven't changed. That should give every Democrat in Florida reason to pause. Anna Hochkammer is the executive director of Florida Women's Freedom Coalition.
